Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I'm so glad that we are back on a roll posting recipes... I've just been cooking from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook, so that is where my recipes have been coming from. I'd like to say again how much I/we like the recipes. We've had the turkey burgers with cauliflower puree twice now and everyone likes them. I tried the oatmeal raisin cookies with banana and zucchini puree and they were great and the kids thought so too. I'll post the oatmeal raisin cookies to give you an idea of what the recipes are like..


Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Deceptively Delicious Cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
6 Tbsp. trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread, chilled (I just used butter)
1/2 cup banana puree
1/2 cup zucchini puree
1 large egg white
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl combine the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and stir to mix. In a large bowl, beat the sugar and margarine with a wooden spoon until just combined; do not overmix. Add the banana and zucchini purees, and the egg white, and stir just to blend. Add the flour mixture, raisins, and walnuts, if using, and stir to combine. Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonsful onto the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch in between. Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 4-5 minutes, just until they are firm enough to handle, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.


On another note... I REALLY like parchment paper. I just bought a roll of Reynold's Parchment Paper, not already cut sheets (which would be nice). I used it on the cookies above and it works awesome. No mess on the cookie sheets and the cookies don't stick to the paper either. I've used it for other cookies and for homemade rolls... I'm hooked.

Egg Substitute

I found this idea in the Light and Tasty magazine...
To make your own egg substitute:
In a small bowl, combine 3 egg whites, 2 tablespoons of instant nonfat dry milk powder, 1 teaspoon of water and 2 to 3 drops of yellow food coloring (this is optional). Mix well. One serving (1/2 cup) is equivalent to 2 eggs.

Kitchen Tips .....

The Tips are a good idea, too. The hard-boiled egg & grater works. I use a potato masher with my hard-boiled eggs & that works great, too.

Here's another: if you don't want to use flour for thickening in stews & soups, add 1 or 2 tbsp. of tapioca. Works good and it's never lumpy.

Kitchen Tidbits...

I thought we could also share kitchen tips here as well.
So, my first tip that I learned this week is from Marilyn D. We were making egg salad sandwiches and she grated the boiled eggs. Yes, she *grated* them! It worked like a dream and then it was all uniform and easy to work with...